There are many applications in the electronic industry, such as in copying machines, computers and the like, wherein a plurality of conductors must be terminated to various electronic components to carry out various functions of a machine or apparatus. For instance, in a copying machine, control electronics are fed through data conductors or lines and power conductors or lines to various devices, such as motors, audible or visual indicators, or the like which perform the various functions of the machine, such as changing the reduction of the copying process, varying the numbers of copies, rendering audible or visual signals, and the like. Electronic components or devices, such as printed circuit boards, integrated circuit chips, headers or connectors must be coupled through electrical connectors to the power and data transmission conductors or lines.
Some such electronic systems of the character described above include a programming means for an integrated circuit chip (IC chip) incorporated in the system. Specifically, as stated above, an electrical connector may be designed to coupled data transmission lines or conductors to a printed circuit board. Conventional circuit traces on the board interconnect with the IC chip. A programmable bus or strip may be provided to program the IC chip to whatever electronic configuration is in the machine or other device. In essence, the programmable strip tells the IC chip to perform various electronic functions by selectively shorting out circuit traces on the printed circuit board. In this manner, a generic IC chip can be provided and simply programmed within the assembly.
Heretofore, such programmable buses or strips most often have included individual spring contacts which are selectively bent downward, or broken away, so that they do not engage particular circuit traces on the printed circuit board and, thereby, selectively short out the circuit traces. Bending the spring contacts to shorting positions often has not proven effective. Breaking away selective spring contacts often leave undesirable edges, require tedious manipulations and, like the bending operations, permanently alter or deform the programming strip configuration.
This invention is directed to providing an improved programming strip in electronic systems of the character described, wherein the spring contacts are positively held in inoperative or shorting positions.